I just had my 2005 Jeep Wrangler TJ lifted today (Rubicon Express 3.5 Super-Flex kit running BFG 33s). I was driving it home and noticed the the temperature gauge was much higher then usual (normally it is dead center of the gauge). When I got home, my wife wanted to go on a drive, and when I started it up, my "Check Gauges" light came on. The temperature needle was just shy of the red!

I am more than a little upset. Has anyone had this problem? I have checked the fluids and everything seems to be in the "normal" range. This is my daily driver, and I NEED this Jeep to run without issues. Can anyone point me towards a solution? I was thinking about replacing the Engine Coolant, but I am not sure if I should mix 50% water and 50% Coolant, 100% Coolant, ect. Does anyone know what a 2005 Jeep Wrangler X is supposed to have, coolant-wise?

very odd problem, but yes DO NOT go full coolant in a Jeep or any other vehicle for that matter. It's meant to be mixed. Full strength coolant will damage stuff. Not good.

Unless of course you buy the pre-mixed stuff that's ready to go out of the bottle. But you are getting half the coolant for the same price.

About the overheating. The only thing I can think of is if they bumped or disconnected something and forgot to reconnect? Maybe they did something with the fan? I doubt it's coincidence. Next time it gets hot pop the hood and see if the fan is running.

Runnin hot could also be a stuck thermostat. Next time it gets almost to red hot, turn your heat on full and see what happens.

"Letting someone else work on your Jeep is like letting someone else take off your girlfriend's panties" - some JF member

Can't think of a reason for the lift to cause cooling problems but the coolant should be mixed 50/50.

Thanks for the advice! I have mixed coolant/water 50/50 in my 97 TJ, but I have read in a few other Chrysler manuals that they don't recommend mixing water in with the coolant, so I was a little confused. Thanks for setting the record straight.

On top of the coolant issue, the trasfer case drop brackets moved my transmission down around 1 inch, so now I am having problems shifting into 2nd, 4th, 6th and reverse (due to the angle of the transmission and the stick). The console was broken by the shop that installed the lift and said that if they didn't break the console, the gears listed above wouldn't be able to engage, and therefore, it is Rubicon Express' fault for the design of the trasmission drop, not theirs.

On top of the problems listed above, I no longer can shift into 4 low. Today was supposed to be a happy day (3 years in the making), but is clearly a bad day for me.

very odd problem, but yes DO NOT go full coolant in a Jeep or any other vehicle for that matter. It's meant to be mixed. Full strength coolant will damage stuff. Not good.

Unless of course you buy the pre-mixed stuff that's ready to go out of the bottle. But you are getting half the coolant for the same price.

About the overheating. The only thing I can think of is if they bumped or disconnected something and forgot to reconnect? Maybe they did something with the fan? I doubt it's coincidence. Next time it gets hot pop the hood and see if the fan is running.

Runnin hot could also be a stuck thermostat. Next time it gets almost to red hot, turn your heat on full and see what happens.

When I turn my heat on full, is there anything that I should be checking for? This is Phoenix after all. I might dehydrate and turn into a pile of ash.

if the temp starts to come down then it's probably a stuck thermostat. I know this only because I had a dodge shadow and they were notorious for it. if you are running hot and the thermostat is working, you'll notice the needle dip quick, but if it's working right it should never get past just over halfway before the thermostat opens i thiink the temp is like 210 and the thermo should kick in. blasting the heat helps dissipate heat off the engine and in my experience sometimes helps the thermostat open up for some reason.

"Letting someone else work on your Jeep is like letting someone else take off your girlfriend's panties" - some JF member

Thanks for the advice! I have mixed coolant/water 50/50 in my 97 TJ, but I have read in a few other Chrysler manuals that they don't recommend mixing water in with the coolant, so I was a little confused. Thanks for setting the record straight.

On top of the coolant issue, the trasfer case drop brackets moved my transmission down around 1 inch, so now I am having problems shifting into 2nd, 4th, 6th and reverse (due to the angle of the transmission and the stick). The console was broken by the shop that installed the lift and said that if they didn't break the console, the gears listed above wouldn't be able to engage, and therefore, it is Rubicon Express' fault for the design of the trasmission drop, not theirs.

On top of the problems listed above, I no longer can shift into 4 low. Today was supposed to be a happy day (3 years in the making), but is clearly a bad day for me.

FML.

You could always remove the t-case drop and install a MML. That would move everything back to normal and keep your driveline angles in check, unless a MML is all ready installed.

On a side note, do you know if the shop adjusted your fan shroud? It could be totally unrelated to your cooling problem, but I think a t-case drop changes the angle the engine sits, like when installing a body lift you have to raise your fan shroud.

Thanks for the advice! I have mixed coolant/water 50/50 in my 97 TJ, but I have read in a few other Chrysler manuals that they don't recommend mixing water in with the coolant, so I was a little confused. Thanks for setting the record straight.

On top of the coolant issue, the trasfer case drop brackets moved my transmission down around 1 inch, so now I am having problems shifting into 2nd, 4th, 6th and reverse (due to the angle of the transmission and the stick). The console was broken by the shop that installed the lift and said that if they didn't break the console, the gears listed above wouldn't be able to engage, and therefore, it is Rubicon Express' fault for the design of the trasmission drop, not theirs.

On top of the problems listed above, I no longer can shift into 4 low. Today was supposed to be a happy day (3 years in the making), but is clearly a bad day for me.

FML.

I, for one, do not believe for a second that a company would put out a product that required the installer to break the factory console and remain in business for long. God, I get so pissed off when I hear about s*** like this...it's their fault, whether they want to admit it or not. They did the breaking, RE did not. End of discussion.

Also, if the Jeep was not overheating when you took it in, and it is now...well, that should tell you pretty clearly when the problem occurred. There's no telling what they could have done, or what they might have just cut and moved out of the way in order to get the job "done." I think your fan shroud might be at issue, though. It could be binding up the fan, as others have suggested.

I'd not take this lying down. If they don't make the situation right (refund of part of their labor charge, new console, repair any associated problems) then you make sure that everyone in your area knows who NOT to take their vehicle to for repair/install work. Sorry you had that happen to you, man.

If it's worth doing, then it's worth overdoing.

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yeah, after reading what the others have said i think you have a fan problem. it probably isn't working right and these guys have more experience with lifts. if you live in AZ that fan does alot more work than you probably think

edit: wait a tick, exactly how the hell did they break the console installing a lift??

"Letting someone else work on your Jeep is like letting someone else take off your girlfriend's panties" - some JF member

edit: wait a tick, exactly how the hell did they break the console installing a lift??

They were not able to make the Jeep go into gear in 2nd, 4th, 6th or reverse because the throw on the shifter was pushed back (due to the T-case lowering kit), and so instead of having to fix the problem, the decided to break the console at the front (are closest to the firewall), so that when you went into 2nd gear, the entire console would lift up and would allow the Jeep to stay in gear..kind of. I slipped out of reverse earlier today.

I, for one, do not believe for a second that a company would put out a product that required the installer to break the factory console and remain in business for long. God, I get so pissed off when I hear about s*** like this...it's their fault, whether they want to admit it or not. They did the breaking, RE did not. End of discussion.

Also, if the Jeep was not overheating when you took it in, and it is now...well, that should tell you pretty clearly when the problem occurred. There's no telling what they could have done, or what they might have just cut and moved out of the way in order to get the job "done." I think your fan shroud might be at issue, though. It could be binding up the fan, as others have suggested.

I'd not take this lying down. If they don't make the situation right (refund of part of their labor charge, new console, repair any associated problems) then you make sure that everyone in your area knows who NOT to take their vehicle to for repair/install work. Sorry you had that happen to you, man.

Thanks Sundowner. I could not believe the lack of accountability on the shop's part. It seems like in this "recession" type of atmosphere, this shop decides to point the finger at a company that made the parts. RE wasn't responsible for the installation.

The part that makes me upset is the fact that they put the same 3.5 RE kit on my 97 TJ, with the same wheels, same tires, same components, and yet they say that "every Jeep is different" and this is an isolated incident. This statement may be true, but it is not a crutch for a poor installation job.

I spoke to the "manager" on hand and he said that I should contact Rubicon Express and ask them to cover the cost of the console. Horrible experience. Now I am worried about what other corners they cut...

There have been accounts of the fan binding into the shroud after lifting. Check it spins free, sounds like the shop did a poor job on the rest of it.

I checked the fan and the shroud and it didn't seem like there was any binding or any contact between the fan and the shroud. This was while running at idle, so I haven't checked it while driving, and I'm not really sure how to check it while I am driving. Thanks for the idea, but it doesn't seem like the fan is the problem.

FWIW, I just checked the temp on the Jeep and it is currently at the 1/4 mark on the temperature gauge. I haven't driven it in nearly 6 hours!?!?

You could always remove the t-case drop and install a MML. That would move everything back to normal and keep your driveline angles in check, unless a MML is all ready installed.

On a side note, do you know if the shop adjusted your fan shroud? It could be totally unrelated to your cooling problem, but I think a t-case drop changes the angle the engine sits, like when installing a body lift you have to raise your fan shroud.

Just a thought though.

Hi Freeskier! I am not familiar with what a MML is. Can you explain?

BTW, there is no body lift on the Jeep (just in case it comes up), it's all suspension lift.

Man, sorry to hear about this. Just for my information, since I'm in your area, would you mind PM'ing me the name of that shop. Sounds like one I may want to avoid like that one thing.....oh yeah, THE PLAGUE!!